nel, Sydney

nel recently opened in a bunker location underneath Central Station Hotel in Surry Hills and it is definitely something good. The kitchen is headed by Chef Nelly Robinson who started his career by training under Chef Nigel Howarth at the Michelin-starred Northcote Manor. Hailing from Lancashire, a county north of Manchester, he’s been jumping around the UK (and had a pitstop in Sydney working for the ARIA Group) before opening up nel. The restaurant popped up on my radar a little while before opening and I was keen to try it as soon as my scheduled freed up a little.

Keeping the exposed brick walls, concrete floor, and overhead metal tubing of the space was, in my opinion, a particularly smart move. It somehow makes the space seem cosier and decidedly more relaxed. Finish it off with soft lighting and plenty of wood accents for maximum character. The far side of the room is taken up by a large open kitchen (you know I love open kitchens) for you to watch the chefs work the pass. My favorite part about it? Seeing a chef with glasses on top of her head plating next to Robinson. Glasses!

Speaking of glasses, nel’s cocktail menu is short and succinct. There’s only four choices: ‘tall’, ‘stiff’, ‘fresh’, and ‘smooth’. Don’t drink alcohol? You’re covered with a selection of coffees, teas, and (if you ask) mocktails. Going down the menu, I see “a conscious coupling” written on it and I can’t help but think that Robinson is making fun of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s “conscious uncoupling”. The dinner tasting menu is eight courses for $88pp and changes every month to feature the best produce. I’m a little sad that I missed the venison carpaccio with chocolate dust but that’s what happens when a restaurant is popular and bookings are filled.

Basil, apple, tomato

Out comes a rock. I thought it was just a really realistic piece of serviceware until I tried to pick it up and realized that it was realistic because it was actually a rock. Some basil marshmallows covered with tomato dust and a squeeze of apple gel sit on top. The fact that the tomato resembles Dorito dust is already slightly off-putting as I have an aversion to all cheese-flavored chips but it’s pleasantly tart. It’s an ephemeral bite.

Liver sandwich

Another rock comes out; this time with duck liver parfait sandwiched between slices of dehydrated potato and topped with cassis puree. One of the quickest ways to catch my eye is to put a crunchy chip in my general direction. Add liver parfait to it and you have my complete attention. Blackcurrant and duck liver is a classic combination so it only seems fitting to add a dab of sweet cassis puree.

Green peas, ham

We all have that one comfort-food that we remember having a lot as a child. It brings back happy memories and quite often, it’s one of the first things we attempt to learn how to cook. For Robinson, this is his mother’s ham and pea soup. He’s put his own spin on it, serving ham ‘chips’ with green pea puree. Sounds very seussian, doesn’t it? Despite the chip being a crumbed baton of pork, I still manage to drip some of the juice on myself.

House-made cheddar cheese roll, wild garlic butter

Cheese and butter are some of my best friends. Each diner gets a nubbin of wild garlic butter to ration carefully with their bread. One of the many reasons I love cheddar rolls is because sometimes you get a crisp bit of melted cheese on the edge. It was nicely sized too; just a little bit smaller than a closed fist.

Treacle, tuna, soy, yuzu, edamame, white sesame

I quite like raw tuna, so to see three cubes of it covered in black and white sesame seeds made me happy. It’s placed around a nutty white sesame paste and refreshing yuzu snow. Cold edamame beans and pea tendrils decorate the plate. It all looks so delicate and tastes fresh.

Autumn mushroom consommé, truffle dumpling

Truffles. The fungus that is culinary gold. There’s a healthy sprinkling of shaved truffle on top of truffle, shiitake and enoki mushroom dumpling. That’s a lot of truffle. It’s actually in chunks inside the dumpling so you get the crunchy texture. There’s a little bit of theatrics involved in this; a waiter pours shiitake broth from a tea pot into your bowl. Stopping just before it reaches the parmesan chip with dollops of mushroom puree. There’s an earthiness about this course which sets it apart from the one before.

Potato, leek, egg yolk, parmesan

This was one of my favorites: parmesan-whipped potato, 53 degree baked egg yolk, some chopped fresh leek, a tangle of dehydrated leeks, plus what I take to be burnt leek powder. I am like Wylie Dufresne in that I am also obsessed with eggs. So this was a winner for me with that golden runny yolk. There’s very few ingredients involved but it all comes together deliciously.

Duck, turnip, blood sausage, bok choi

Who knew that carrot and mandarin puree could look so intense? Both it and the duck jus is a great accompaniment to braised bok choi and baby turnip, a duck puff, blood sausage, and a portion of slow-cooked duck breast. It wouldn’t be complete without a dusting of carrot powder. Blood sausage is not for everybody; perhaps this is why small chunks of it was baked into brioche. Soft, pink duck is enough to make me smile giddily.

Carrot, mandarin, buttermilk, mint

What is in this pretty bowl? Carrot cake, mandarin sorbet, buttermilk mousse, mint moss, shaved carrot and a few mandarin segments. Apparently I completely forgot about the existence of carrot cake when I was hesitant about carrots being in a dessert. It’s a lovely combination of sour, rich, and sweet. Plus, mint is a nice aesthetic touch. The only disappointing thing about this is that I finished it in only three bites.

Pistachio, white corn, cherry

This is Robinson’s signature dessert based on a deconstructed black forest cake. A fanciful-looking combination of chocolate soil, cherry puree and puffed white corn in white chocolate provide a bed for the pistachio ice cream and fairy floss. The fairy floss had a soft pistachio flavor and wasn’t too sweet. After digging into the white corn, I could hear my brain pop. Could it be popping candy?! I’ll never know unless I ask Robinson himself.

Eccles cake, lemon curd (back); toffee apple (front)

Petit fours are a wonderful thing; they round off a meal nicely with a few bites. Here, Robinson delivers his take on some English classics. First off is a bite-size version of eccles cake, a popular English tea cake. A raisin is wrapped with puff pastry and lemon curd put on top. The second petit four is my favorite: ‘toffee apple’, long associated with Guy Fawkes Night. Apple puree is contained by a thin chocolate shell, then three of the smallest apple cubes and a bit of caramel. Dipping puree in liquid nitrogen is a trick designed so that it quite literally bursts on your palate.

I had a great experience at nel. From the staff being so nice despite me arriving fifteen minutes late, to my coat getting hung up, to the amazing food. I cannot say enough nice things about the staff. They were all pleasant and I can definitely appreciate it when they lean or kneel down to my level to speak to me eye-to-eye. I would definitely suggest nel to anybody who would like to try fine food that doesn’t melt your card like Tetsuya’s does. A special cheers to the floor staff who were professional and happily answered any questions I had!

nel
75 Wentworth Ave
Sydney, NSW 2000
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